Democratic and Social Center

The Democratic and Social Center (CDS) was a centrist political party in Spain that existed from 1982 to 2006. The party was founded by Adolfo Suarez, who was the principal architect behind Spain's transition from fascism to democracy; from 1976 to 1981, Suarez served as Spain's first democratically-elected Prime Minister since the Spanish Second Republic. The party combined social liberal views with Christian democratic morals, and the party gained the support of Spanish workers and anti-American activists during the 1980s due to its advocacy for economic self-determination and for opposition to Felipe Gonzalez's conservative economic policies. In 2006, the party merged into the conservative People's Party of Spain.